Improvement in sewing-machines



B. HOLLY. Sewing Machine.

Patented May 8, 1860.

/ /AAA- n. PETERS. Phuilhlithngnphfl. Walkingion. at:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- Nc. 28..I76,7d:1tcd May8,11%".

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BIRDSILL HOLLY, of Lockport, in the county ofNiagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sewing Machines 5 and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad tothe accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in whichFigure 1 isa side elevation with the hollow shaft E shown in section.Fig. 2 is an elevation showing also in dotted lines the method ofturning the machine on the axis of the driving-pulley B.- Fig. 3' is anend elevation, with the hollow shaft E, interior shaft, F, and a portionof the standard D in section, showing the swivel method of setting theneedle. Fig. 4 is a section of the shafts E F and box in which theneedle-bar and feed-works operate, showing the construction of thelatter. Fig. .5 is an enlarged View, showing the reacting looper c asbeing drawn back after forming the' loop. Fig. 6 represents the same inthe act of forming the loop for the next stitch. Fig. 7 shows the cam K,looper-bar 0, and frame M detached. Fig. 8 is'a diagram of the pulleysfor taking up the slack of the thread. Fig. 9 is a plan of the revolvingneedleplate detached.

Similar letters refer to corresponding parts in all the figures. v

I will proceed to describe my improvements separately so far as they donot relate to each other.

In order to make the works beneath the bed-plate A quickly andconveniently aeees-' sible, I dispense with throwing oil the band fromthe driving-pulley B, which is attended with much trouble and delay. Iplace a hollow shaft, 0, underneath and fixed permanently to thebed-plate, which rests oubearings or journals in the stand or table at aa. The mandrel of the driving pulley passes through the hollow shaft 0,asshown in dotted lines, making it the axis on which the machine isturned, as seen in Fig. 2, as wellas of the motion of thedriving-pul1ey. This being the case, it will be readily seen that themachine may be turned without throwing off the band I), which connectsthe pulley with the treadle.

The stitch is formed by means of a reacting looper, 0, Figs. 5, 6, and7, which, carries the lower thread, (indicated by blue, the upper threadbeing shown in red.) As shown in Fig. 7, it consists of a bent looperhaving a slot near its point, in which the latch dis pivoted at itscenter, and on which it plays. The thread is passed from the spoolthrough a hole in the stem of the looper, then back through back thelooper advances till the projecting end of the latch strikes the end ofthe piecef, (called the latch-turner,) which is bent in a positiontransverse to the direction of the looper, and is grooved at its outerside, e, to form a space for the needle to pass. The end of f beingstationary, the latch turns on it by the motion of the looper, whichthrows the-forward end out, carrying the lower thread far enough fromthe looper to allow the needle in advancing to'pass between the lowerthread and the looper, which backs out as the needle advances, and thelatch, reacting to 'pass the turning-stud f, at the same time throws offthe loop, which is now interlocked with the upper thread, and it isdrawn in to form the stitch. The looper advances only till the pivot ofthe latch'is opposite the groove 0 in the latch-turner, when the loop isalso at that point, and the needle passes in the angle of the latch,which, by turning, has thrown the lower thread out, so as to formanother loop, through which the needle passes. A spring,

:g, by pressing against the heel of the latch,

keeps its head within the looper, so that it cannot fail to pass throughthe loop with the lower thread.

- The studs D D sustain the hollowshaft E, to which are attached theboxes and bearings in which the needle-bar and feed-works operate.Through this passes the rock-shaft F, which is actuated by a pitman, h,having a slotted connection with a pin on the face of thedrivingpulley'B. Reciprocating motion is given to the needle-bar by anarm, i, (seen endwise in Fig. 1,) rigidly attached to the end of theshaft F. By loosening set-screws j in the standards the tubularbearing-shaft E may be turned to adjust the needle to the center of thehole in the needle-plate and to the proper position in relation to thelooper, as shown by the. dotted lines in Fig. 3, the shaft acting as aswivel-bearing for this purpose.

Mymethod of operating the feed-platekcolr sistsiiremploying anoscillatinglever,L,work- 'ing on the pivot' m. It lies parallel with andagainst the feed-bar J, which is hung on the spring a in the. ordinarymanner for convenience of raising, and presses it against thepin 0,which forms the axis of its motion. The lever L is provided withinclined planes at either end, facing the needle-bar and inclined inopposite directions. As the needle descends and enters the cloth thescrew 12 strikes the upper incline and causes the top of the levertocrowd the bar J at the top, and thereby releases-the teeth of the foot.k from the cloth and impels it forward the distance of the stitch, andas the needle rises the pin strikes the lower incline of the lever andthrows back the foot,- which,

- by its hold upon the cloth, carries-it along.

The length of the stitch is regulated by turning the screw p more orless out from-the needle-bar, .and it is'secured in the desiredposit-i'on by tightening the counter-screw 0-.

Acircular needle-plate, G, is constructed to.

fit'accurately a hole in the bed A, from which it is readily removable,bein g held only by the lugs s s on the lower side. This is providedwith any. convenient number of needle-holes n,

of different sizes, as represented in Fig. 9, ar-

ranged on a circle around the center, so that by revolving the plateeither one may be brought into the properposition to the needle. Thisaccommodates the requirements of different fabrics, the lighter and moredelicate of which require the support which is afforded by a platehaving a small hole to prevent their receiving injury by being stretchedor pressed through by the action of the needle, while some coarsefabrics, requiring a larger thread and needle, could only be sewedthrough a larger hole. Revolvingthe plate also adjusts the holelaterally to theneedle, while it is adjusted vertically byjtheswivel-shaft F in themanner previously explained.

The method of taking up the slack of the thread is exhibited in Fig. 8.It consists of three sheaves, around which the thread is passed, thefirst of which, 8, is attached to the needle-arm '5 at it axis, beingthe center of motion of the rock-shaft F; another, t, where the arm ispivoted to the needle-bar. The first being stationary and the othersmoving with the needle-bar, it will readily be seen that their relativepositions, when the needle-bar is at its highest and lowest points ofmotion, are such as to require a greater length of the thread 1 -toencircle them when the needle is thrown down, as shown by the dottedlines, than when raised, as the angle in one position is obtuse and inthe other acute. As the needle, enters the cloth the thread is slack,but is drawn up by the sheaves as the needle reaches the end of itsstroke,in order to draw in thestitch and tighten the loop. As thesheaves turn easily on their axes, it allows'the tension on the threadto extend to the spool w, which renders thread for the next stitch. 1

The cam K, Figs. 1 and 7, which operates the looper-bar O, is attachedto the mandrel of the driving-pulley B. It works againstthefriction-pulley y, which is hung in the semicircular yoke -'M,'which ispivoted at one end to the bar 0 and. at the other to a hanger, R,

from the bed-plate A. The latter bearing being immovable, and the yoke Mbeing held against the cam by a spring, 2, reciprocating motion isimpartedto the looper-bar, which is the same, let the driving-pulley beturned in either direction, so that a change in themotion of the machinemakes no difference in its operation.

hat I claim as my. invention, and desire to BIRDSILL HOLLY.

' Witnesses:

J. FRASER, S. J. Anna.

